The Lakewood Toolbox, located behind the Screw Factory in Lakewood, Ohio, is a tool-lending library where residents can borrow essential equipment. Beyond lending equipment, the Toolbox hosts workshops and helps community members learn how to use tools they may not have previously considered or known how to operate.
Operating as a “lending library,” the Lakewood Toolbox is part of Lakewood Alive’s mission to provide tools that may otherwise be too expensive or inaccessible for residents and landlords.
Matt Clark, housing outreach and Toolbox coordinator, took the job seven years ago as a part-time role. Through Lakewood Alive’s Housing Outreach program, Clark and a team of volunteers assist low- to moderate-income residents, residents with disabilities and seniors in the community.
Along with this work, Clark also serves as coordinator with the Lakewood Toolbox, continuing to expand his impact in the community.
The Lakewood Toolbox was founded by former operations director Allison Urbanek. “Allison Urbanek was the one who started it because she worked for a program in Cleveland Heights called Housing Resource Network that had a lending library of tools,” Clark said. Urbanek later brought that idea to Lakewood as a valuable addition to the city.
The Lakewood Toolbox started very simply — with a shipping container filled with donated tools. Donations came from multiple sources. “Stanley Black & Decker donated a bunch of tools, we got a grant to get some more tools, and people also donate old tools,” Clark said. This program started small, then grew into a valuable local resource.
Lakewood Alive’s marketing coordinator Ava Olic has been with the organization for three years. “I run our website, our social media accounts. We also have a biweekly newsletter that I create every other week, and any contact we have with local press goes through me for the most part,” she said.
In addition to these responsibilities, Olic helps ensure that requests are properly directed so people can complete jobs effectively. She has grown the Lakewood Toolbox community by providing information through community newsletters.
For Lakewood residents, utilizing the Toolbox is simple. Individuals can go online to lakewoodalive.org/programs/tool-box and sign up for a $30 annual membership. From there, they are able to borrow any tool they need, anytime they need it.
“Currently, there are about 60 to 80 different tools,” Clark said. Available tools range from larger equipment, such as table saws, snow blowers and pressure washers, to smaller items like cordless drills, screwdrivers, shovels and rakes. Whatever a resident needs is ready for use.
When booking a rental with a client, the Lakewood Toolbox trusts they will use them safely and return them in the same condition. The organization relies on this trust because everyone is part of the same community, working toward a common goal.
However, if a more substantial or potentially dangerous tool is borrowed, Clark is always willing to demonstrate its use and assist customers to ensure safety.
With Lakewood containing many duplexes and apartments, landlords are one of the major audiences for the Toolbox. When they don’t want to purchase a tool for one use or can’t afford expensive equipment to refurbish properties, this is an excellent resource they can turn to.
Along with being an asset to the city, the Lakewood Toolbox also helps specific groups in need in the community. Recently, it partnered with the fire department to assist senior citizens by installing grab bars, shower heads and shower chairs in their homes to make daily life easier.
They also hold free workshops for homeowners as well as community members looking for something to do. For example, the “Knowing Your Home” Education Series, “a free educational series for anybody, not just Lakewood residents — anybody in the area,” said Olic.
The program also offers interactive workshops, such as one that teaches participants how to build a birdhouse for their backyard. These events are held in the meeting room at the Lakewood Public Library or at the Toolbox behind the Screw Factory. Details are available on the Lakewood Toolbox website.
Jo Higgins, executive director of all Lakewood Alive’s programs, said, “It really just helps build the community up. It’s cool to have a place to just go and feel like you can meet your neighbors.”
Looking to the future, the Toolbox strives to expand its reach. “I would love to have a space where we could have all the tools and hold a workshop, so we can just have a place to do our demonstrations,” said Clark. In addition to a dedicated meeting space, the organization hopes to gain enough support to have its own booth at Light Up Lakewood to attract more attention.
The Lakewood Toolbox is a somewhat hidden community resource that helps many people in need. “The mission of Lakewood Alive is to cultivate support and sustain vibrant, welcoming communities,” Higgins said. Clark and the program embody this mission and will continue working to help Lakewood thrive.
